Mt. Baker Highway and Bellingham Bay

We finally had a summer vacation, even if it was really short. J took a day and a half off from work (!!) and we drove up to Bellingham. We left on Monday afternoon. We drove straight to Bellingham. We had dinner outside in the sunshine at Lombardi's on the Bellingham waterfront.

We stayed at the Best Western which was just adequate. No free breakfast and no use of the outdoor swimming pool, due to COVID-19.

On Tuesday we got a fairly early start. We drove along the Mt. Baker highway. We stopped at Nooksack Falls. J was skeptical as we left the highway, wondering how long it would be to the falls. All the tourist information places were closed and there were no brochures about the Bellingham area at the hotel. Very strange. They had plenty about BC and the Seattle area.

Nooksack Falls has a deadly past. There is a sign up with all the deaths.

We accidentally got too close to the top of the falls and we didn't go past a fence or a barrier.
This is the view from the top of the falls.

This is the view from the much safer designated view spot.

There were lots of Christmas tree farms and blueberry farms along the Mt. Baker highway. We stopped for a bathroom break at a store in Maple Falls.

We gained elevation and stopped at Picture Lake, with a view of Mt Shuskan.

More Mt. Shuskan.

We finally arrived at the literal end of the road. We had hoped to drive to Artist Point viewpoint but that road was closed due to snow. We were left wondering when all the snow is gone. August?

We walked/hiked for a while (following the road somewhat) but stopped when C's back was bothering him. He and I found a shady spot with this amazing view

 and J and A scrambled up a steep hill. I was hoping they could see Mt. Baker.

If you squint (or click on the photo) you might spot J and A.

The funny thing was that we never actually saw Mt. Baker. Next time we go, I sure hope we do! I researched the best viewpoints for another visit.

You can see the mix of snow and green here.

J took this photo of me as we came back to the parking lot.

It is a bit deceiving. I didn't have to climb up many steep hills in snow but it looks impressive. One of my friends commented on Instagram that I'm brave.

There didn't seem to be any places to eat near Heather Meadows. This is a ski area in the winter.

A and I remembered passing a Subway on the highway but we couldn't remember how far it was. Unfortunately, it was more than half way back to Bellingham. We were pretty starved by the time we found it. We couldn't sit inside so the boys tailgated (sat in the open back of our car) and J and set up our own chairs with a great view of this darling church.

Back in Bellingham, I suggested returning to Whatcom Park which we visited several years ago.

When we were walking in the park, we saw lots of teens and young adults carrying towels and dressed to swim. We eventually found the swimming hole with a high spot for jumping. We saw a few kids jump from it into the water. Very popular on a hot day when all the swimming pools are closed.

We were ready for some cold drinks and A/C which we found at Barnes and Noble. We found this display amusing.

For supper, I googled best views in Bellingham. We went to the Lighthouse Bar and Grill on the waterfront. We had to wait a while but enjoyed the gorgeous patio of the hotel attached to the restaurant (Hotel Bellwether).

The hotel has this interesting "lighthouse" suite. It is three storeys high. It is their honeymoon suite.

Here we are at our dinner table. I had to wait until some ladies left (nearby) so I could get this photo.

A and I had fish and chips. We walked a bit after supper, C read his new book.

Tame bunny spotting.

On Wednesday morning, we had breakfast at Denny's and then returned home.



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Sunshine, Roses, and Good Conversation

I asked my fiend Linda to join me on an outing last Friday. I wanted to go to the Rose Garden in Tacoma. I saw some photos of it and thought it looked like a great place to visit. The official name is Point Defiance Rose Garden.

I did the driving. Since I'm not driving much these days, I didn't mind. The drive takes just over an hour. Once we were there, we had a bit of trouble finding out where to park and where to find the garden. With COVID shutdowns (the rose garden is in the same area as a large zoo), some roads were closed. We had to walk a ways uphill to get to the garden.

I love arches. This is the entrance.

Here is Linda

There are so many roses! I didn't note the names of any of the roses, except this one. Cherry Parfait.

These roses were my favourite. I love the colour variation.

These roses look like a dogwood tree.

The highlight of this park is this rose arch. We saw some people taking graduation photos inside.

This is the view as you look up, inside the arch.

We noticed this very strange plant. I don't know its name.

Our outing wasn't perfect. I forgot to put on sunscreen so I got a burn on my shoulder.
We looked all around the park and the surrounding area for a bathroom and nothing was open.

We drove a few miles away to the Port Ruston area. Everything is new. Lots of restaurants to choose from. We did find a public restroom (after some walking). We got lunch from What a Catch! We both had fish tacos and basil blackberry lemonade. Delicious!

This was our incredible view as we ate our lunch.

That's Mt. Rainier.

It might be fun to come back here another time and rent the pedicabs with the family. They were in use.

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